This coming tuesday we have a real treat for you down at the Amersham! The SECollective is proud to present two bands making great waves across London's contemporary jazz scene and further a field, featuring some of the heaviest young cats around...

Not. To. Be. Missed.

Dice factory

This group of key young
musicians are already giving shape to the creative direction of a new jazz
generation absorbed by culture and arts as a whole: tenor saxophonist Tom
Challenger is a LOOP Collective member and leader of unique jazz-electronica
group MA as well as saxophonist for
Babel recording band Outhouse; Tom
Farmer is the double bassist for award winning quartet Empirical; drummer Jon Scott (who according to Challenger has a
“ridiculous ‘binary’ brain”) features in MOBO Jazz award winners Kairos 4tet, and pianist George Fogel is
a member of MA and other key upcoming bands such as the trumpeter Andre Canniere Group.

The band name Dice Factory was chosen as a result of a fascination with
author Luke Reinhardt’s cult classic novel The Dice Man in which decisions made
by dice rolling determine structural events which are then lived through for
periods of time. Says saxophonist and composer Tom Challenger, “the name really
came from this environment, and a very self-inflicted, heavy workload with the
aim to getting into the music, where, within a lot of seemingly chaotic music,
harmony and rhythm is a serious amount of structure. Chaos, chance, numbers,
structure, work ethic”. These are the principles at work here.

Somewhat of a ‘secret weapon’ on the European music scene, this large
ensemble is already making a considerable name for themselves in London and the UK, consisting of some of
London’s most high-calibre creative young performers. Highly committed to
creating a spectacle, this 20-piece line-up plays contemporary music by some of
the UK’s finest young composers and improvisers including Laura Jurd, Elliot
Galvin, Alex Roth and Simon Marsh amongst others. With a passion for new music
this hard hitting, cross-genre big band is reminiscent of the eighties
powerhouse ‘Loose Tubes’, whilst developing a truly unique, ever-evolving
identity of its own.

“Hugely original and exciting ensemble, rich in orchestration and bold
improvisational concepts, this group is sure to be the future of British Jazz.”
– Mark Lockheart

Founder and Director of the orchestra, Laura Jurd is a critically acclaimed young composer/trumpet player based in London. Writing much of the ensembles' material, her piece ‘Giant’s Causeway’ which was shortlisted for a 2012 BASCA, British Composer Award.

With more info, along with clips of band performing at last years London Jazz Festival, check out the bands website here: